


Chrome

by zyxth



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chrome Shelled Regios au, High School, M/M, it's like fractured drabbles of various situation in the same au, my sorry English but i tried
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 14:13:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16683145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zyxth/pseuds/zyxth
Summary: A MegOp highschool students AU, based mostly on Chrome Shelled Regios.=It's a post-apocalyptic world. Cybertron overrun with rust and strong beasts (insecticons, predacons, sparkeaters, etc.) Cybertronians were forced to live in large mobile city (Titans). These cities can move to avoid the threats so they're relatively safe. However, the mechs still need to learn how to fight to protect themselves in emergency.At an academic city (there are several but here is Metroplex. It's ran wholly by students), Megatron is already the best in Military Arts department. He's strong, full of potential, but the academic city offers no challenge for him. Metroplex rarely encounters the beasts and only occasionally has a battle for resources with other academic/general cities. They severely lack experiences.Megs wants to be better but he can do only so much by himself. (Still he was quite content with being the best in the city.)At the first day of new semester when new students from other places first come to Metroplex, a freshman-mech showed an incredible combat skills to rescue someone.Megatron was extremely thrilled. This is who he has been looking for! He wants this red and blue mech in his team. Even being his enemy in upcoming unit tournament. Whatever. It will be so much less boring.However, it didn't go as planned.





	Chrome

**Author's Note:**

> A MegOp highschool students AU, based mostly on Chrome Shelled Regios.
> 
> =
> 
> It's a post-apocalyptic world. Cybertron overrun with rust and strong beasts (insecticons, predacons, sparkeaters, etc.) Cybertronians were forced to live in large mobile city (Titans). These cities can move to avoid the threats so they're relatively safe. However, the mechs still need to learn how to fight to protect themselves in emergency.
> 
> At an academic city (there are several but here is Metroplex. It's ran wholly by students), Megatron is already the best in Military Arts department. He's strong, full of potential, but the academic city offers no challenge for him. Metroplex rarely encounters the beasts and only occasionally has a battle for resources with other academic/general cities. They severely lack experiences.  
> Megs wants to be better but he can do only so much by himself. (Still he was quite content with being the best in the city.)
> 
> At the first day of new semester when new students from other places first come to Metroplex, a freshman-mech showed an incredible combat skills to rescue someone. 
> 
> Megatron was extremely thrilled. This is who he has been looking for! He wants this red and blue mech in his team. Even being his enemy in upcoming unit tournament. Whatever. It will be so much less boring.
> 
> However, it didn't go as planned.

“Uh. Excuse me. I'm not a Military Arts student.” Said mech was painfully polite. As if the badassness he displayed the other day was a hallucination. “I am Orion Pax, first year Literatures student. Please, I need to go.”

Megatron stare dumbfoundedly, “Wait- what? A Civilian department---You are a scribe? Librarian? …???”

Orion smiled sweetly, trying his damn best to look innocent and weak, “Technically not yet. Sorry to disappoint you.”

Megatron almost believed it. He let Orion go. The incident was probably a fluke, then realisation came: that little mech was looking at Megatron straight into optics and showing no fear at all.

 

=

 

After that, finding Orion was extremely difficult. Megatron sweared he was being intentionally avoided.

He sent his friends to provoke violence from the mysterious Orion, they retreated crying like a sparkling just because they're guilt-tripped by mere words.

At ninth or tenth time, Orion had had enough of this bullslag and let himself being beaten up while acting pitiful and panic. Megatron bought none of it so he tracked the other down to medbay.

Orion looked up from his berth tiredly and sighed, even though new repairs were obviously shallow and unharmful.

Megatron felt something akin to guilt at such a defeated expression on usually stoic face. He asked, “I don't understand. Why do you hate fighting so much? With your skills, you could be so much more than-”

A humorless laugh stopped Megatron mid-sentence. Now that look in Orion's blue optics was the closest to ‘violence’ as it had ever been. No warmth. No coy smile. No calmness. Just cold.

“More than what? More than me, heh? What do you want, Megatron? Just say it. You are not the first to take advantage of a choice not my own, and definitely not the last.”

The grey mech blinked, unsure and utterly confused. “I have no idea what in the pits you are talking about. As I've already stated, I only wish you would transfer and join my combat unit.” Belatedly he added, “You and I. We could achieve great things together.”

“Ah. Forget it,” Orion muttered sheepishly. All defiance left his frame when they broke optic contact. “May I ask: why do you love fighting so much?”

“To be able to protect myself and others, of course. With Cybertron's situation so dry, we must all do our best to survive. I strive to be the best I could be and I know well that currently I am not.”

Megatron gave Orion time to contemplate in his reverie. The smaller mech was peaceful and regal. The way he held himself was absolutely not of ordinary civilian, but who?

Few breems passed, another question came, “What will you do if your protection is not welcome anymore?”

Huh. Unexpected once again. No mech would deny anyone's offer, even if it was only for a false security.

“I will anyway. There are always people in need who can't afford to defend themselves. I won't deny my dream and function just because they're uncomfortable with it.”

Megatron was fascinated by various emotions displayed in such reserved manners. He's no expert in feelings by any means, yet an air of melancholy surrounded Orion was so clear, almost tangible. It made the red and blue mech deceptively fragile.

“A noble cause. Unfortunately, I do not deserve your attention at all,” Orion paused, struggling to find his voice, “because all I did was running away like a coward.”

 

=

 

Megatron would not admit it but Soundwave simply thought his friend was officially a stalker.

“I can't believe you found nothing about him! You! At least give me which city he came from! A code of transportation he took across rust desert! He can neither run all the way here nor just materialise in Metroplex out of nowhere.”

Soundwave gave an unimpressed glare through visor as an answer.

“Perhaps you should just ask our Student Council President.”

“No way. I would rather rot than asking a favor from Starscream.”

“He already knew about your...fixation. The fact that he hasn't interfered yet only means he is scheming something.”

“Uh-huh. Surely he can't wait to humiliate me. Oh. Can't you just hack student database?”

“Megatron,” Soundwave added dubiously, “hacking personal information is an invasion of privacy, and thus a serious crime. The most reasonable outcome is this Orion mech will despise you more. Obviously, he is not comfortable with sharing so I doubt it's a good way to win his spark.”

“Win his spark!? Why would I want to win his spark! Soundwave, I already told you how he is special!” An embarrassed sputter by Megatron did not convince blue tapedeck one bit.

“Consider this: you are uncaring of my past and accept me as I am. If you are interested in his skills then there's no reason to keep digging his old wound as well.”

 

=

 

Orion started working his part-time job as a cleaner. Task description was simple enough. Making sure Metroplex's engine was in optimal condition without grime of rust. They can't afford their city to be a sitting duck due to mechanical error. Moreover, poor students need shanix.

When his co-worker was introduced, he couldn't help making a tired face.

“You again.”

Megatron was, however, seemingly in genuine perplexity. “Orion?”

It was deep within inner engine chamber of Metroplex. No one but them was present. Orion couldn't make an escape without ruining his job so all in all he's thoroughly fragged.

Still, seeing cleanser, rags, mop and other cleaning tools in those large servos were ridiculous enough to make Orion chuckle.

Interestingly, Megatron blushed and blurted out, “it's my job as well. I am not stalking you!”

Orion hummed a taunt, “oh, really.”

“Hmff. You manage the west section. I'll do east.”

A set of tools was shoved at Orion who instinctively took them all with grace. As the grey mech departed while grumbling to himself, Orion would almost call it a sulk.

“Come watch me! I will teach you the basics. Hopefully, I don't have to wash off your corpse from Metroplex's overgrown engine!” Megaton's gruff voice boomed from a distance.

Ah. That was indeed endearing.

 

=

 

“Here. Well done.” A freezing touch at his cheek made Orion jumped out of his plating.

“Geez. Calm down. We have half a joor break within a shift. You should bring your own next time though.”

Orion cycled his optics. Yes, he knew he's in a break with Megatron. Thank you very much. It's just the casual way of showing care that Orion was not used to, so he belatedly realised he was offered a cube of coolant. Half a cube actually.

Orion was reluctant, “Uhm. My sincere gratitude, but I am fine.”

“Drink. Better safe than overheating,” Megatron said as if ignorant of an effect from his action, “or is the quality not to your liking? My taste is not well acquainted with unnecessary luxury.”

“No! I'm truly touched by your generosity. It's just…” Drinking the same cube was kind of intimate? They were technically not even friends. Seeing a quizzical glance from Megatron, perhaps here the culture was different. “Never mind.” then he drank to the last drop.

The taste was interesting to say the least. He usually preferred a milder coolant with calming effect. Megatron apparently preferred the opposite: strong, acidic, a taste lingered with violent impression not unlike its owner personality.

Satisfied, Megatron let both of them fell into comfortable silence for once.

 

=

 

A month or so passed, Orion finally declared to himself that meeting Megatron thrice a week at night shifts wasn't so bad. He had his quirk but at least now they can have civil discussions. Since no ridiculous sparring challenge threw at him at every chance, Megatron was actually quite a pleasant company.

At break they talked about many topics. Most of the time the words flowed smoothly making both immersed in their little world, which Metroplex’s engine chamber with its loud hum was in a way.

It's almost like an asylum. Nothing outside was important enough to matter at the moment. Orion could forget his ghosts for a while and focused entirely on scrubbing Metroplex and intellectual debate with his only colleague.

In the middle of their shift, they joined to sit side by side at their usual place. With their backs to giant chamber wall, here they were granted the unique bird’s-eye view of huge engines at work, emphasising its depth and grandness of the very core of their city.

“Megatron.”

“Yes?”

Naturally, undivided attention was on Orion once more. It was unnerving feeling so exposed under intrusive gaze, yet this too he could get familiar with.

Orion pulled two cubes of coolant out from his subspace and handed one to a bemused Megatron.

“I know it's a little late to repay your kindness. Nothing fancy, just a homemade blend. It's really my favorite so I do hope it's not too bad to your taste.”

Megatron did not grab said cube. He only eyed it incredulously. “You need not repay me. I gladly offered mine and it was barely half a cube.”

Orion still extended his servo patiently. “Then consider it a gift?”

“It was just half a cube of cheap coolant, Orion.”

Orion almost rolled his optics. Could it be more awkward?

A little annoyed and disappointed, he gulped down half of soft blue liquid and put it in Megatron's servo, pointedly ignoring any upcoming protest and his own fluttered spark.

“Just take it! Alchemy’s Law of Equivalent Exchange.”

Yes, it definitely could be more awkward.

 

=

 

“Why are you smiling creepily at your cube…? Oh Primus, don't answer it.” Soundwave, a good friend, also a know-it-all roommate, decided it's better left unknown for his own sanity.

The cassettes had different opinion entirely. Frenzy jumped from Soundwave's to Megatron's berth along with Rumble. Even Ravage's audio receptor moved up to hear better although he tried to feign nonchalance.

“Oooooh please do tell! We are curious! What is it with you, ol’ Megsy! What happened? Is it your cute little crush?”

There, a forbidden word, Soundwave was not fast enough to stop Rumble's cursed mouth.

A somewhat floral atmosphere shattered into gloomy one in a klik. Megatron's crimson optics were also somehow a tad bloodier.

Soundwave could only sigh and step in.

 

=

 

“Orion Pax! What a coincidence! We have a long overdue conversation.”

A flashy seeker stopped Orion in a hallway. He recalled vaguely that it's the same mech giving long speech in Orientation Day.

“Council President,” Orion greeted politely.

“Ah. Yes. You can call me Starscream.”

Calling the other with his title seemed to stroke his ego enough to put him in a better mood.

“President Starscream, may we have this conversation at a future date? I am running late.”

“Do not worry! I dare not take much of your time!”

The more Starscream smiled, the stronger foreboding sense Orion felt. Apparently he was not in enough of a good mood to let Orion go easily.

Starscream leaned in, uncaring of personal space concept, and whispered into Orion's audial with a gleeful grin, “application to Metroplex academy with fake identity is a severe offense, don't you think? Normally it should have ended up with you being kicked out of this city, but you have nowhere to go back to, yes? You are unwanted there…”

Orion could almost feel dread choking his vents. The only thing that prevented his frame to go rigid and show any stress he's in was solely thank to vorns of practice.

A distant but familiar voice haunted in his nightmare now became loud and clear.

_‘Mask your emotion._

_You are a tool of Primus._

_Nothing more.’_

Orion hated a dripping sweet tone Starscream was using. Especially when Starscream did not stop.

“Hmm. What did they call you? A curse. A disappointment. A mistake. An embarrassment. They want to erase you so badly,” the president paused for dramatic effect, Orion could nearly hear the president's grin widened, “and deeply you want to destroy them as well. That, we can strike a deal, Optimus Prime of Trypticon. We _will_ achieve so many great, great things together.”

  



End file.
